Gift 
Sue Dexter
For more than 30 years, Sue Dexter was a dedicated Saint Louis Zoo volunteer and supporter. She and her husband Phil both started out in the Children's Zoo. "Phil was the one who really enjoyed being a docent," Sue once said, "and I was more interested in travel and seeing animals in the wild." For many years Sue served as co-chair of the Zoo Travel Committee with fellow volunteer Hazel Darlington. She not only assisted in planning and coordinating Zoo-sponsored travel adventures, but also went on a number of trips herself - to Kenya, India, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Tanzania. Over time, her interest in conservation grew along with her passion for wildlife.
During her lifetime, Sue made several significant gifts to the WildCare Institute. She was particularly interested in the Center for Horn of Africa Conservation and its work with Grevy's zebra as well as in the Institute for Conservation Medicine led by Sharon Deem, DVM, PhD, DACZM. She felt Dr. Deem's work was especially important because of its focus on the interrelated nature of diseases in animals and humans and finding solutions that enable all forms of life to share the planet and be healthy.
When she was planning her estate, Sue decided to create an endowed fund through a bequest. Known as Sue's Conservation Fieldwork Fund, it helps pay for staff travel expenses to enhance their work. "Each year the Zoo sends curators, keepers, veterinarians and scientists to locations around the globe to bring our work from 'fence to field' and vice versa," said Eric Miller, DVM, Senior Vice President of Zoological Operations & Director of the WildCare Institute. "Sue's fund is a tremendous resource for the WildCare Institute and our efforts to save animal species and their habitats."
Sue also enjoyed sharing the Zoo with her children and grandchildren. "She loved having the opportunity to introduce them to the keepers and take them behind the scenes," said her daughter Susan Opdycke. Of her son Chris who is currently studying veterinary medicine, Susan says "Like Mom's other six grandchildren, Chris enjoyed the time he spent with his grandmother visiting the Zoo and hearing about her travels to Africa.mari Her love of animals is their legacy."
Sue passed away in May 2015, but her love of wildlife goes on through her family and through her endowed fund.
